Contributed Comments

Comments: Excellent route! Far more laybacking than I expected, which resulted in some serious pump and a lot of wind-sucking.

We brought a BD #5 and found it very helpful in protecting the 11- roof at the end of pitch two as well as the top of pitch 3 where the crack widens to offwidth. It's helpful on pitch 4 as well, but the climbing is easy enough on 4 that running it out isn't all that bad.

We did the route in 4 pitches by combining pitches 4 and 5. This provided for good rests between pitc... more >>

Comments: This felt a bit more difficult than 5.8, but what did I expect. It's the Voo!

I only used one #1 at the beginning, two #2s as the crack widened, 2 #3s at the crux, and a #4 above the crux. One could avoid the #4, but you would have to burry smaller cams pretty deep and risk them waling back into oblivion.

Rack smaller gear to your right and bigger gear to your left. There is a bit of a corner that is on your left as your start and switches to your right as you go... more >>

Comments: This is a really fun route with lots of variety. The face sections are a bit run out, but the features are solid, so there's very little risk of taking a big whipper.

We climbed this in one pitch with a 70 meter rope. I ran out of alpine draws along the way, so the rope drag got pretty bad. If you link both pitches, make sure you have a bunch of extendable draws with you.

Comments: According to a CMS guide we ran into today, this route is in for the first time in a couple years. It's rather beat out on the left side and the right is steep and brittle. It's a fun line, so get while the getting it good!

Comments: This is probably the best single pitch route I've ever been on. The crack is sustained perfect hands (for me) and eats gear. Make sure you have a ton of BD #2 cams with you. I think I racked with 7 #2s, 2 #3s, and 1 #1. The #1 can be placed in the thinner part of the crack at the very beginning. It's #2s the rest of the way with exception of one #3 placement at the beginning of the overhang section.

This route was more difficult than I thought it would be due to the OW and the calcite. Being able to smear in an OW crack is important and the calcite covered sandstone made this a little difficult. However, on the crux pitch I found that there were enough face features on calcite covered walls to edge and make my way through.

The experience at the top is second to none. Alpine style climbing with a view like that of the dessert is something special. Whichever route yo... more >>

Jarod Sickler and I climbed this on Monday, July 25th 2011 and were the only one's on the wall. It was a bluebird day with zero precipitation and warm temperatures. It was spectacular.

Some thoughts:

-There is still a LOT of snow on the approach to the North Chimney and still some snow in the chimney itself. The snow in the chimney itself can be avoided by climbing on the rock ramp to the left of the snow. We roped up for a short steep section of the chimney just before Bro... more >>

Comments: This is a fun route. It would be a 5.9 if there weren't so many face hold options on the line. I used a BD 1, BD 0.75, A finger-sized Metolius, another BD 0.75, and a quick draw for the bolt. It's a fun route and a good place to practice hand jams. The lower part of the crack is also a good place to teach someone how to build and anchor. Bring some BD 2s if you plan on doing that.

Comments: If this route was 2 to 3 times as long there would be a line to climb it. The rock is excellent and the crack is perfect hands. The anchor is a bit tricky to build but some long webbing and a few stoppers or hexes does the trick.

Comments: This one is alright but I'm a bit upset that we didn't climb La Cosita, Right instead. We only had time for one more route and the sustained finger crack that is La Cosita, Right looks like a ton of fun. Left is fun if you're in the mood for stemming and a few fun lie-back moves.

Comments: This is super fun line but make sure you bring the right pro! I estimated hand sizes from the bottom. In reality, you should rack up to big fist (BD #4). There are a couple of pitons in a pin scar to the right of the widening crack on the second half of the route. I'm sure someone found the oval beaner I left on one of the pitons when I realized my #2's weren't going to cut it.

Comments: Glad I finally made it over to Creek Side to climb this. It's a fun route. Mostly 5.6 with some 5.8/5.9- moves. The best pitch is definitely the last one because of the exposure. You've got a beautiful bird's-eye view of the creek and all the kayaks and rafts floating by.

If you're feeling adventurous and want to give Solid Gold a shot, you can get to the rap line from the top of Playin' Hooky and get any gear you have to leave.